Category: Philanthropy

I have yet to build a habit related to giving generously. It has been difficult for me to reconcile the idea of coming off as a braggart versus using this blog as a way to focus my efforts when developing better habits. Ultimately, this blog is for personal development, and I know my intentions are pure.

Clayton and I moved into our new house and have diligently worked to get unpacked before vacation.

Action Plan Progress:

DONE – 6 weekly posts shared

DONE – Completed discarding and packing by Thursday, 12/10/2015

DONE – Posted about storing techniques

DONE – Kept a photo journal

Grade: A

Incentive: I’ve already found a new cleaning service in Red Wing and hopefully we can get them started in January!

Lessons Learned:

One idea I tried to keep in mind while unpacking and storing was that everything should have a place. I left nothing unpacked, and it feels good to be surrounded by the things that spark joy.

Below are pictures that highlight the techniques suggested by Marie Kondo.

Bathroom storage – I used storage bins, shoe boxes, and have kept all the same items stored together.Bookshelves storage – they include the two accordion folders that now house the only paper in our place!Closet storage – Our new closet is laid out differently, but we got almost everything stored there. I still have another chest of drawers in the bedroom, but it wouldn’t fit through the closet opening.

There was no part of this process that was simple. I think the fact that we were moving made it easier to keep moving forward. My favorite part was rediscovering things that do spark joy that have been stuck in boxes!

6 Month Goals:

My only goal is to ensure I ask myself if something sparks joy before purchasing it.

The last category in the discarding process is mementos. It was difficult to determine what was included in this category as it is basically everything else. I had the following major categories:

Cards

Snow globes

Stuffed animals

Pictures

Random stuff

It was pretty easy for me to part with the cards. I enjoyed receiving the cards, but the book resonated with me about not holding onto gifts out of guilt. The rest of the sub categories were difficult to get through. Clayton seemed especially resistant to this part of the process and assured me everything sparked joy.

As you can see from the after picture we parted with very little. I admit that I did not get rid of any pictures. It was a lot of effort to put my photo albums together, and I do take the time to look at them regularly and enjoy them.

We have done a great job of getting through the discarding process, and I want to make sure that everything we have determined sparks joy is on display in our home. My new policy is to not have anything packed away where we cannot enjoy it.

Have you successfully sorted through and discarded mementos? Please share any tips in the comments.

It seemed like we were making great progress, but then we got to the miscellaneous category…

Music

Movies

Games

Bathroom

Kitchen

Laundry

Bedding

This category was messy and took much longer to sort through than the previous ones. Each new pile was more daunting than the last. Because our move date is creeping up on us we’ve had to discard and pack after work, which is not ideal. Also Clayton hasn’t fully bought into the process so I feel like I spend a lot of time explaining to him why I want to sort through things in a certain way.

It took 4 days, but we finally got through everything! I’ve included a picture of our donate pile below. We also sold a lot of movies and games and threw out a ton of junk.

Up next mementos. One last category and we’ll be done. I just have to keep reminding myself that everything will be infinitely better next week!

I have just completed Phase 3 of the KonMari method, and am thoroughly exhausted. I failed to leave myself enough time to complete two phases of this project and write a proper blog post about it. I also took out my frustration on Clayton, which was unfair. Even though I am technically still on track with my action plan, I am calling this week a fail. The purpose of taking on this task/habit was to try and avoid the chaos moving brings, but it is as stressful as ever.

Please enjoy this photo series on our progress in lieu of an actual post…

Phase 1 of the KonMari method is to sort through and discard all the clothes in your house that do not spark joy. I thought it would be best for Clayton and I to pull out all of our clothes at the same time, so we spent an entire day working on this project.

Step 1. Search every closet, drawer, and laundry area for clothes.

We had clothes in every room of the house, and I didn’t even realize it. Here are some pictures I took before we got started.

Step 2. Place every item of clothing on the floor in one area.

This is the part of the process where I regretted ever picking up the book! Our living room was a disaster, and we could barely walk through the mess. It was too late to turn back so onwards and upwards!

We started with off-season tops and worked our way down the list. This order really does help to build momentum. By the time I got to the shoes, which I thought were going to be the hardest to part with, I was so frustrated with myself for having all this junk that I was able to blow through the pile very quickly.

Our donate and sell piles.

We sorted our clothes into 4 piles:

Keep

Donate

Sell

Trash

All of our clothes now fit in the master bedroom storage space. This is not the final storing solution, so those pictures will be coming in a later post.

This process is physically and mentally exhausting. I wanted to quit once we started step 2 and take a nap half way through step 4. It was a great relief to finally finish, and Clayton and I aren’t dreading the next phase of discarding books!

Have you ever tried sorting through every article of clothing you own? Please share your experience in the comments!

Post weekly progress on discarding in the order recommended by Marie Kondo

Clothes

Books

Papers

Misc

Mementos

Complete discarding and packing by Thursday, 12/10/2015

Post about storing techniques

Keep a photo journal

Incentive: Monthly cleaning service at the new house!

Lofty Goal: Being healthy and giving generously

Tidying up fits in the health category because of the peace of mind I feel when I am in a tidy space. I also choose to list philanthropy because the discarding process will give us the opportunity to donate a lot of the things just taking up space.

Moving is hard, but Clayton and I have done more than our fair share. I am hoping that implementing the KonMari method will help us get a jump start on packing so that it’s not a mad rush the week of our move.